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S Jaishankar’s address underscored India’s long-standing concern over state-backed terror rising from across the country’s western border
S Jaishankar addresses the UNGA | Image: X
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar drew applause at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday after launching a sharp attack on Pakistan, branding it the “epicentre of global terrorism.”
His address underscored India’s long-standing concern over state-backed terror rising from across the country’s western border.
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“While asserting our rights, we must also firmly face up to threats. Countering terrorism is a particular priority because it synthesises bigotry, violence, intolerance and fear. India has confronted this challenge since independence, having a neighbour that is an epicentre of global terrorism,” Jaishankar said, following which applause echoed at the UNGA.
“The most recent example of cross-border barbarism was the murder of innocent tourists in Pahalgam in April this year. India exercised its right to defend its people against terrorism and brought its organizers and perpetrators to justice,” Jaishankar said, in a direct reference to the April 2025 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu pilgrims.
He said terrorism remains the single greatest threat to peace and stability in South Asia, adding that “for decades now, major international terrorist attacks are traced back to that one country. UN’s designated lists of terrorists are replete with its nationals.”
Jaishankar further condemned Pakistan’s alleged policy of mainstreaming terror, saying, “When nations openly declare terrorism as state policy, when terror hubs operate on an industrial scale, when terrorists are publicly glorified, then such actions must be unequivocally condemned.”
The External Affairs Minister called for “relentless international pressure” to dismantle the global terror ecosystem, urging the UN to ensure tighter cooperation on choking terror financing.
He reiterated India’s position of zero tolerance, stressing that both terrorists and their sponsors must be held accountable under international law.
His remarks, which drew applause in the Assembly hall, came in the wake of India’s retaliatory strikes under Operation Sindoor earlier this year, targeting terror camps inside Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack.
By framing terrorism as a global challenge rather than a bilateral dispute, he used the UN platform to spotlight Pakistan’s failure to dismantle its terror infrastructure while rallying international support for a tougher global response.
United States of America (USA)
September 28, 2025, 00:20 IST
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